The Last Night
by Live.Love.Lie
Summary: Au. Kurogane's been having the same dream of the mysterious blonde boy for quite some time. When he finally meets him, is there anything Kurogane can do to prevent the horrid fate he foresaw? KuroFai.
1. Chapter 1

It was the same damn dream

It was the same damn dream.

It was always the same damn dream. Or, at least it had been for the past two weeks. Every night, he expected it. Yet at the same time, every night it scared him. It wasn't so much the sight of it, but the realism of it that sent shivers crawling up his spine. Every night, the pale body would wait, in a glaring pool of blood, life spilling out with the sultry liquid. A lip of broken flesh placed innocently on the throat, wrists, and forearm. The pools of sapphire eyes, once bursting with well concealed emotion, lifeless; dull, empty. Thin pink lips, slightly parted, perhaps with the action of the boy's last breath, turning a pale blue. His legs, tucked tightly to his chest, balancing his head on his knees would be covered in scratches with rips tearing through his slacks. Wisps of fair, pale golden locks shooting out would be stuck to his face like split ink on parchment, its tips turning pink with the blood. The tenseness of his body always gave him the appearance of being alive, though the boy seeing the dream doubted it.

When the dream came true, the mysterious blonde boy would surely be dead.

Kurogane jolted up out of bed, his head pounding, pants of breath drawing in and out of his aching lungs. He froze, a familiar creep of warning hissing its way around his chest. He shut his eyes closed nearly violently when he felt himself embarrassingly close to tears. He raised his hands to his head, massaging his temples as he rocked himself back and forth in bed. Trembling, he set his right foot on the ground, a chill running across his skin at the feel of the hard, wooden floor board. Quickly, he set his other foot down, jumping off his bed entirely and making a mad dash out of his room and down the hall. He threw the last door of the hall open and blinked a few times to make out shapes in the dark. He sighed with relief at the sight of Tomoyo, his younger sister, sleeping soundly and unaware of his worries. He nodded his head. As it should be. As long as it was him having the dreams, that meant she was safe from them.

She was safe.

It was a fair exchange, he supposed. She was much younger than him and he knew he could handle the burden much better and longer than she could. He closed his eyes and drew in a sharp breath. It was all for the best this way.

"Kurogane?" a sleepy voice asked from behind.

Kurogane jumped, snapping his head back to see his mother standing in the hall way, a confused stare fixed on her flawless features.

"M-Mom!" Kurogane exclaimed, rushing toward her with opened arms. He hugged her waist hopelessly as she cooed her shaking son. Eventually, he mumbled, "I h-had the d-dream again."

His mother stopped her ministrations for a moment, before returning the reassurances to him again twofold.

"Oh, Kurogane! I'm …" His mother trailed off, sounding close to tears herself. "I'm so very sorry."

Kurogane nodded his head, burying his face in her shoulder as she crouched down to his level. She stood up after a while, and took his hand, leading her shaken son back to his room where she lied down on his bed with him until he could once again fall asleep.

Once asleep, the concerned mother still didn't leave him. She knew she could do nothing to help, but being there somehow made her feel useful. The woman sighed, closing her eyes in agony. Being there made her feel like she could stop the dreams from haunting her son any longer.

Kurogane stretched his arms over his head, giving a loud yawn for the hundredth time. He slumped back down in his chair, glaring at any of the other students in his classroom that dared to look at him as he tried in vain to stay awake. Stupid kids. What did they know? Seriously, so what if he was tired? Was staring at him really the only entertainment they could find to occupy themselves with? Kurogane snorted, kicking the leg of his desk uselessly. He had to get out of here.

A young, shy looking girl walked up to Kurogane, looking slightly afraid and slightly curious. "U-Um, Kurogane-kun?" she started lowly, earning an annoyed glare from the boy.

"Yeah, what?"

"W-Well, I was just wondering if you had finished using the rubric for the writing assignment." The girl blushed slightly, staring at the ground, "I lost mine."

Kurogane rolled his eyes, before leaning down and digging threw his back pack for said paper. He hadn't done the assignment himself yet, but he figured it would be put to better use with the girl.

"Here." Kurogane grumbled, handing the sheet to her.

The girl smiled happily, turning to Kurogane. "Thank you very much Kurogane-kun! I'm Sakura, by the way."

"Yeah, sure." He replied disinterestedly. Truthfully, he knew her name. He just didn't like addressing people by their names in general.

The girl pouted slightly, before shrugging. "Okay. Bye!"

Then the bubbly girl skipped off, making Kurogane wonder if she had been trying to start a conversation with him. He shook the thought, and settled back on looking annoyed at anyone who passed by. It was easier than talking, at least.

"Tsk, tsk, Kurogane!" a familiar voice rang, approaching him from behind.

Kurogane groaned loudly. "What the hell do you want, Souma?"

The girl laughed languidly, sitting herself in the chair next to his. "I'm talking Kurogane. It's this thing people do to communicate and be, oh, I dunno … social!"

"I asked what you want, not for a lecture." Kurogane growled, already feeling annoyed.

The girl batted her hand. "You just don't want to admit that you have no social skills. I mean, c'mon Kurogane! It's free time! Stop snoozing and let's go play!"

Kurogane shot her a death glare as she grabbed his arm in attempt to hoist him up out of his chair.

"Geez, Kuro! Either you're glued down or you need to loose some weight!" Souma chided, ignoring Kurogane shooing her away.

"Aw, shuddup! I'm not heavy, you're just weak!" He shot back lamely. After a second, he decided to just tell her the truth. "I'm really tired from last night. I didn't get any sleep … I had the dream again."

Souma froze, staring down at her friend in silent fear. Eventually she sat back down next to him, holding his hand comfortingly. "Oh. Was it, um, the same?"

Kurogane nodded and sighed dejectedly. "I'm tired of it. It's a pain to deal with …"

Souma nodded her head in understanding, though truthfully she knew she had no experience with such things. She'd been friends with Kurogane long enough to know that Tomoyo, his younger sister, along with all other woman in the Suwa family, had the ability to see the future in dreams. It had startled her at first, but after a while she thought it was pretty neat to have such an ability. Until, for unknown reasons, Kurogane somehow got the gift as well.

Ever since, two weeks ago exactly, Kurogane's been having the same dream. A young blonde boy about their age, lying, dead, in a pool of blood. Despite feeling fear for her friend's well being, Souma had tried time and time again to explain to him that maybe he was seeing the boy's death for a reason. Maybe … they had to help him.

However, in the end, the argument always ended the same. Kurogane would flatly refuse over and over, until Souma caved. She wasn't going to push things she didn't fully understand herself. Besides, they were after all only children. Who could _they_ save?

"I think the day that it happens is coming sooner." Kurogane finally whispered. Souma shot her head up at his voice, and knitted her brows together in confusion.

"How do know that?" She asked.

Kurogane was still for a moment as he gathered his thoughts in his head. After a while, he said, "The first few times I had the dream, there was less blood and less cuts. After each time, it seems to get worse and worse. I think … maybe that's because it's getting sooner to the day it happens. In the dream, he still kinda seems sort of alive." Kurogane rubbed the back of his neck worriedly, trying to avert Souma's attention to the fact that he was shaking again. "I think that when I have a dream of him actually dead … it'll be over."

Souma hid her face from view, staring down sadly.

Kurogane followed suit, until the bell to dismiss free time rang.

Kurogane wasn't quite sure why he decided to walk home that day. It was cold, looked like it would start raining at any second, and even more his house was a little more than a mile from the school. Kurogane liked exercise, and was extremely active, but even he preferred to use the after school bus rather than walk that wretched mile. But that day, something compelled him to walk. He knew he would regret it, which he did about halfway there, but he did get a sort of accomplished feeling as he rounded the second to last block. Almost there.

Just as he did, however, he was instantly knocked to the ground as a running child crashed right into him.

"What the hell?!" Kurogane exclaimed indignantly at the fallen kid beside him. "Could you watch where you're going, moron!"

The kid sat there for a moment, as if considering to just lay there on the sidewalk until he gathered himself completely, before he shot up his head, an apologetic grin on his lips. "S-Sorry, I was in a hurry and wasn't watching where I was going."

Kurogane was about to go on again and even threaten the startled boy, until his breath caught in his chest as he caught sight of the boy's face for the first time. Kurogane could only stare as it all registered in his mind. His heart pounded so loudly in his chest he was surprised the other boy couldn't hear it. The hair, the face, the slender form … if Kurogane would have imagined a voice to match the body, the one apologizing to him would have been it. This boy was the one. This boy … was the dying child in his dreams.

Um, okay so this is my first fanfic on this site. This … is really bad, but this is just practice! Every time I'm about to post a story here, something pops up and prevents me from even going on this site. This is going to be a short story and I know this chapter was short, but the next one will be longer, I promise! Please review and tell me about any spelling mistakes or anything to improve this story. I'll take any review; flame me if you wish. Oh, and Souma is going to be very OOC in this story, because I had her role originally planned for Tomoyo, but she ended up being his sister, and I couldn't think of anyone else … sorry! Thank you for reading this! 3


	2. Chapter 2

The boy looked down as he gathered his belongings that were strewn across the sidewalk. Every so often, he would glance shyly up at Kurogane, who continued to gawk at him like an idiot. He really was a mousy thing, the blonde kid. Kurogane couldn't get over how much he really looked the way he did in the dream, since he hadn't thought any boy his age could be so skinny. Then there was the mere fact that Kurogane was in fact seeing the boy in his dreams that left him speechless. Or nightmares, he supposed. Despite the current situation, Kurogane couldn't deny how pretty he was. He frowned slightly; probably prettier than any boy should ever be.

Deciding that he was probably scaring the kid a bit by just staring at him, Kurogane decided to try and start a conversation. He gritted his teeth. That damn Souma was right when she said that Kurogane had no social skills.

"Um, hey … so where do you live?" Kurogane asked uncomfortably.

The boy shot his head up, so fast he probably cracked it somehow Kurogane noted, and stared at Kurogane with huge blue eyes. "Me?"

Kurogane quirked a brow. "Uh, yeah."

The boy smiled awkwardly. "My family moved into the house at the end of this block yesterday." He cleared his throat.

Kurogane frowned, confused. It seemed like the kid didn't talk to people much.

"Oh. Are you gonna start going to Horitsuba?" Kurogane asked, folding his legs under him to sit more comfortably.

The boy cocked his head to the side. "Horitsuba?"

"Yeah, it's the only elementary school anyway near here." Kurogane clarified.

"Oh. I guess so then. Um …" The boy was silent for a moment and had a look on his face like he was deep in thought. "Do you go to that school?"

Kurogane nodded. "Yeah. It's pretty annoying, and the teachers are stupid, but it's fun sometimes."

The boy smiled, before he stood up, all of his belongings bundled up in his lanky arms.

Kurogane did the same, before asking as casually as he could make the words sound, "What's your name?"

The boy once again had a startled look before he smiled brightly again. "My name is Fai! Well, I have a longer name but it's, uh, longer! So just call me Fai!"

Kurogane smiled slightly at the boy's energy. "I'm Kurogane … I'd better get home. I'll see ya at school then!"

And then Kurogane walked off, feeling satisfied with meeting the object of his current torment. A sick feeling was still brewing at the pit of his stomach, for he knew the dream would be harder to endure now since he saw the boy alive and well, but it didn't matter. Kurogane nodded his head and stared determinedly at the street he was crossing; he was going to make sure that the dream didn't happen. He didn't know Fai very well, and he had no real reason to actually care about his wellbeing, but it didn't matter to Kurogane. Kurogane was a protector, and even though he wasn't going to before, now that Kurogane had met the boy he felt like he had no reason_ not_ to help Fai. The kid seemed pretty weird, and kind of shy, but at the same time Kurogane decided maybe he wasn't that bad and maybe he deserved to be saved. Maybe.

"Yes! Yes! I knew it! Yes! Let me help, Kurogane! Let me help, pleeeeeease!" Souma begged from her usual seat next to Kurogane, ignoring the looks she was getting from the other students.

Kurogane blushed, before brushing her aside. "Whatever, I doubt fire breathing dragons would stop you from doing what you do. Just don't tell him about the dream." Kurogane reminded her firmly. The last thing he wanted was to scare the kid off.

Souma nodded her head enthusiastically, raising her hands to her sides. "I just knew it, Kurogane! I knew we would meet him, and I knew we would help him! I just … knew it!" the girl squealed.

Kurogane scowled. "This isn't a game, moron. This is life and death, so we have to be careful. Besides, we can't be with him all the time, so we can't monitor his every move. So it's important that we don't make a wrong move."

Souma gained a serious expression and nodded her head. "Right! Oh, and did you ask when he would start school?"

"No, but he's probably busy with moving stuff right now."

Kurogane let out a little huff, and slumped down in his chair, bags starting to become evident under his crimson eyes. Souma observed him with worried eyes. The girl had never been very good with explaining her feelings, but no matter what, Kurogane was worse. He was often stoic, and bored, and grumpy, and angry, but Souma knew that deep (and she meant deep) down inside him, he was actually quite kind. Most likely, Souma mused, Kurogane had stood up the whole night so that he wouldn't have to endure the dream. She shifted in her seat slightly as Kurogane began to nod off. She knew, the instant Kurogane had told her that he had encountered the boy, that seeing him had struck something inside of her friend. Kurogane didn't often agree to helping people, unless they were important to him, so for him to agree to help someone he didn't even know must mean he felt something with Fai.

Souma smiled. She couldn't wait to meet him now.

Souma situated herself happily next to her now sleeping friend, bouncing in her seat with poorly suppressed excitement.

"Say, Kurogane, what exactly are we protecting him from?" Souma finally asked.

Kurogane let out a small noise, before yawning. "…Dangerous people, I guess. From the way the dream looked … I think he was murdered."

Souma let a chill rattle up her spine, before she shook it off. Right. Murder. No big deal; if anything happens they just have to call the police, right?

"I think we should do a background check on him." Souma said seriously, "Maybe he could get some idea of who would hurt him, yes?"

Kurogane was silent as he considered this. After a while, he just shook his head. "Maybe we shouldn't do this, Souma. I think we should let my parents handle this. I mean, we're only in sixth grade. What are we supposed to do to stop a murder? And what's the best excuse we have: I saw it in a dream? Who the hell would believe that? Even I wouldn't believe that."

Kurogane sat up straight and turned to his friend. "I'm not so sure we could actually help him, Souma. We shouldn't take the chance. What if we only end up hurting him?"

Souma stared at Kurogane in shock. He … cared that much?

Just then the teacher called out to the class and all conversations going on quieted down to whispers.

"Okay kids! We'll be having a new student coming in later on. Who would like to volunteer to let him sit with them at their table?"

Souma launched her and Kurogane's (by force, naturally) hands into the air. "He can sit with us, Ms. Hibiya!"

Everyone's head turned to look at them with amused eyes, even though they were all used to Souma's loudness. Souma looked rather proud, up until when Kendappa whispered to her friend "Souma-chan is so funny!" which made her face turn a bright red. Kurogane just sat there looking rather peeved and yanked his hand from Souma's with a crimson face.

When all was quiet again, he turned to his friend.

"What the hell was that about?!" He hissed.

Souma gave him a smug grin. "It's obviously Fai-kun! If he sits with us, we can all be friends! It'll be easier to help him from the inside, right?"

Kurogane scoffed at the beaming girl and hid his face in his hands. The girl took some sort of sick joy out of embarrassing him, he was sure of it.

For a while, class went by uneventfully and Kurogane was once again dozing off in his seat. Every so often Souma would nudge him in the ribs or poke his shut eyeball. At one point she started to draw on his face, but the teacher stopped her with smiling eyes. Things were normal.

_Knock, knock._

Everyone's head turned interestedly at the door at the sounds of tiny fists banging against it.

Souma's hands flew to her mouth and she rocked back and forth in excitement. Kurogane didn't quite know what the big deal was, or why his friend was spazzing so much over the arrival of a boy that was destined to be murdered, but he decided to just keep to himself.

Ms. Hibiya laughed graciously as she unlocked the door and let the person in.

"I'm terribly sorry about that! Fai-kun, is it?" Ms. Hibiya asked.

The boy nodded his head, and peaked up at the teacher with fearful eyes. She smiled warmly and put a hand to Fai's back to escort him to the front of the classroom, her smile only ever faltering when Fai winced at her touch. She quickly masked her concern.

"Everybody, this is Fai-kun, our new student! Welcome him, everyone, please." She grinned encouragingly at everyone as they smiled at Fai. The blue-eyed boy stood there and stared stupidly back. Eventually, she pointed towards Kurogane and Souma in the back of the room. "Okay, Kurogane-kun and Souma-chan asked if you could sit with them, Fai-kun. Is that alright?"

Fai's eyes widened slightly in recognition of one of the names, before he nodded his head eagerly and sprinted off toward the back.

A few kids laughed, while others shrugged apathetically.

"Kuro-sama!" Fai whispered as he took a seat next to Kurogane. "We're in the same class together!"

Kurogane twitched slightly at the name Fai had called him, but nodded his head all the same. "Uh, yeah."

Fai grinned widely at him before he turned his head and noticed he was indeed being watched.

Souma waved spastically to him from her seat across from Kurogane.

"I'm Souma!" She whispered loudly enough for the whole class to hear.

Fai cowered in his seat and simply said, "Hi."

Kurogane looked down at him and frowned. Okay, this kid had worse social skills than him.

"Don't be scared. Souma has ADD, that's all." Kurogane sighed.

Fai turned to him surprised, and smiled impishly.

Souma pouted. "Don't be mean, Kurogane. I _am_ you're best friend."

Fai glanced at her sideways at this, before settling his gaze on the desk again. Souma took notice.

"Oh, wait, let me correct that." Souma quickly cleared with a hint of mock in her tone, "I'm you're _only_ friend."

Kurogane grunted at her and crossed his arms unresponsively. Truthfully, he couldn't care less about having friends, but that didn't mean he needed to hear it all the time. It stung a bit after a while, though hell would freeze over before he admitted that much.

"…Kuro-tan's only friend is Souma-san?" Fai asked lowly.

Souma gave him a funny look at the nickname, before laughing amiably. "That's right! I'm his only friend … but you and Kurogane will become friends, I'm sure of it!"

Both boys turned to face Souma sharply. Kurogane looked annoyed, and Fai horrified.

"No! I mean … that's okay. He doesn't have to be my friend, Souma-san." Fai said quickly.

Kurogane shrugged. Souma kicked him in the shin. After giving a very loud yelp and having the teacher scold him playfully about being loud during her lesson, and making sure he glared at Souma long enough, Kurogane huffed angrily and looked down at Fai.

"I'll … be your friend." He said through gritted teeth. Souma clapped her hands, signaling he had done well.

"Ah! Me too! Me too!" Souma chimed from across the table as if they would forget her if she was silent for too long.

Fai's face was a little red, and he kept biting his lip nervously through a crooked smile. "Um. Okay, then. But … just so you know … I might—"

"No buts!" Souma announced loudly. "We're you're friends already, so it's too late."

Kurogane sneered at her. "Yeah, she's already caught your scent. Try to run away, I dare you."

Fai laughed nervously again and scooted his seat forward a bit. Kurogane wondered if he was considering hiding under the table.

"Oh, shut up! Fai-chan, why don't you come with Kurogane and me after school? We're going to the park for a while until my parents take us to the dojo." Souma offered happily.

Fai seemed to perk up a bit. "Dojo?"

Kurogane nodded his head before Souma had a chance to open her big mouth. "We go to Karate after school … well, I do, Souma just likes to bug me and pretend she knows crap about martial arts."

"I resent that." Souma said in a mock serious voice. "I know lots about martial arts! I've been watching you practice my whole life!"

Fai giggled lightly and pillowed his chin on his palms. "I would love to come!"

Kurogane sighed while Souma tried to resist from glomping the adorable blonde boy.

"You're so cute!" She squealed and jumped up and down in her seat. Kurogane thought she might start foaming at the mouth.

Fai flushed at the compliment and looked to Kurogane, as if for clarification as to what she really meant. Kurogane only shrugged and continued watching his female friend with a guarded glare.

If they were really going to help Fai, she had to get serious about this. Kurogane frowned and ran a hand backwards through his hair. His dream couldn't come true.

The second the bell rang dismissing school, Kurogane couldn't have felt more relieved. He had literally yelled out "Yes!" and jumped out of his seat. You couldn't blame him really. After the trio's discussion, Souma had spent the rest of class uncharacteristically quiet and Fai had clung to Kurogane like a lifeline. Every so often Souma would cast Kurogane a look he had supposed she had meant to be secretive, but had only ended up making her look like she was in deep pain. It was rather amusing, but Kurogane didn't even get to enjoy it since Fai consumed his every second of attention. He had tried really hard not to loose his temper, but it was hard when a kid was asking how to use a pencil. (Okay, it was mechanical and kind of confusing but you should figure those things out yourself, damnit!)

Not to mention the nicknames the kid had come up with, adding the most ridiculous suffix's to his name. The kid was annoying but Kurogane just couldn't pry him off. He had resorted the reason to pity.

"Kuro-pippi, do you hate class?" Fai asked as they trudged out of the classroom and into the sea of kids swarming the halls.

"Why?" he shot back, trying his hardest to ignore the nickname.

Fai shrugged, his grip tightening on the back of Kurogane's shirt as older kids bumped into him. "You just seemed really happy to leave class, I guess."

Fai looked thoughtful for a moment, before smiling broadly. "Was Kuro-pyon tired of me?"

Kurogane flushed, feeling a strange surge of anger at the smile. "Why the hell do you call me those things?"

Fai sensed the change of subject and stretched his grin.

"Because they're cute, aren't they! I didn't think that Kuro-tan had ever been given a nickname before …" Fai paused for a moment until he looked up, his smile looking more painful than before, "I thought it would be special!"

Kurogane grunted indifferently, observing the boy's thinly veiled pain from beneath his constant mask. _Why would anyone smile like that if they didn't want to?_

Kurogane shook his head. Was this kid an idiot?

"Heyyyy, Kurogane! Fai-chan! Why'd you leave me back there?" Souma wailed from somewhere behind.

Kurogane lethargically raised a hand and waved it, signaling he had heard her but didn't care.

"Dummy!" He heard he call out, before her voice was drowned out from the crowd.

Fai laughed and skipped ahead happily the moment they were in the open. He turned to Kurogane with a grin. "It was hard to breath back there! So, what are we gonna do at the park?"

Kurogane noted he seemed much more chipper than before, which stirred something inside of him. Fai seemed to change moods often, which was something Kurogane sensed would be a problem in the future.

"I dunno, whatever you want I guess. Souma just usually tries to show off on the monkey bars. She really sucks, though." Kurogane said.

Fai gave him a curious look and tilted his head to the side. "Kuro-min likes to say mean things about Souma-san. Why?"

Kurogane flushed again, and shuffled his feet. "What the hell kind of question is that?!"

Fai laughed. "An easy one! …Why?"

Kurogane groaned and rubbed the back of his neck. "I dunno … she's my friend. Don't I have the right to say whatever I want about her?"

Fai looked confused, before nodding his head in understanding. "So you only say mean things about people … you're close to?"

The red eyed boy shrugged, feeling uncomfortable. Fai just asked whatever he wanted, didn't he? Kurogane was aware that he … had bad people skills. With him, saying something rude was as good as a complement. It was good enough to get a mere acknowledgement out of him. He didn't mean what he said, but it was easier for him to just be cynical then pretend to be nice. Kurogane didn't consider himself a kind person; he never felt the reason to pretend. So to him, he wasn't being mean; he was being himself.

Suddenly, Fai went into a fit of giggles.

"Kuro-puu is so shy! He can only show affection by being a meanie!" Fai trilled.

Kurogane felt his eye twitched. He could only take so much more before he snapped. Souma would be mad, but it would be worth it.

"Look, just shut up about that, okay?! And 'meanie?! How old are you? Five?" he grunted.

"Nyaaa you're only furthering my point!" Fai clapped.

"What point?!"

"You're only being mean, because that's all you can do! Kuro-sama is too afraid to be nice, because then I'll know!"

"KNOW WHAT?!"

"That you like me!"

Quicker than the eye could trace, Kurogane lunged for Fai with the clear intention of death. Fai laughed hysterically and sprinted off in the opposite direction, looking over his shoulder every once in a while to make sure Kurogane was still chasing him. He let out a wild "kyaaaa!" when he noticed Kurogane had somehow become equipped with a small tree branch and was making mad jabs for him. This only made Fai more determined, and more clever. He was nimble and tall, so that helped him jump up trees or dodge the other's attacks, though it was hard to do so while laughing. Kurogane had to admit; this was more fun than pretending to be so nice for the idiot. Fai seemed to like it more, too. Kurogane smirked maliciously and continued on his chase. He would never admit how many times he let Fai get away unscathed on purpose.

Ew. Badly written filler chapter is bad. Sigh. Um, I tried to get this chapter out as soon as possible, which failed. It's longer than the first, but is just build up and filler. Sorry. If things seem too rushed, which they are, I apologize again. The next chapter will take a while because I'm going to Hawaii soon … anyway, review please! And thank you so much to those who already have! 8D


	3. Chapter 3

"Kuro-piko— look out

A bit of an inside look at Fai's home life. Enjoy!

XxX

"Kuro-piko— look out!"

Kurogane twitched, loosing his concentration, which resulted in a blow to his abdomen. He faltered, before regaining himself and delivering a strike to his opponents' side and knocking them off their feet.

Fai cringed, and covered his mouth with his hands. He had made a promise not to talk and he had just broken it. He had asked Kurogane every day that week if he could go and see him perform, and finally made Kurogane cave. The red-eyed boy had specifically said at the park before they had left, that the only way he would let Fai come to his sparring match was if he shut up and didn't bother anyone. But he just did. And Kurogane had gotten hit because of him. He felt a stab at his side and peeked one of his eyes up at the intruder from underneath his bangs.

Souma grinned to him and gave him a thumbs up.

"Don't worry; Kurogane won't get mad at you for yelling out! I'm sure you actually made him very happy!" Souma reassured him.

Fai smiled shakily. "Well ... Souma-san does know him better then me." Fai sighed. "But if you think it would make him happy, why don't you yell out?"

Souma blinked, before smirking. "I think he would be happier if you said it instead."

Fai blushed. He gave another anxious laugh before he heard a voice hollering to him.

"Oi, _moron_." Kurogane growled as he approached his two friends who watched his sparring match from the bleachers. "Didn't I say that the only way I would let you come with us is if you didn't talk the entire time, let alone while I was fighting?!"

Fai cowered slightly for the first time since he was in class. The sight made Kurogane feel a little bad, but he stood by what he said, damnit. He wasn't going to go soft just because Fai looked so much like a girl. Hell, he didn't even go soft on girls, anyway.

"I just didn't want Kuro-meanie to get hit …" Fai whimpered, turning on the crocodile tears and burying his face in Souma's shoulder.

"There, there, you mustn't cry." Souma sarcastically comforted him, casting Kurogane an indignant glare.

"Don't think you can fake cry your way out of this!!" Kurogane snapped. He was feeling exasperated; Fai and Souma had spent only a few days together and the blue-eyed boy was already picking up on her worst habits.

Fai sniffled one last time, before looking up at Kurogane pathetically with big bright blue eyes and his lower lip jutting out. "I'm so sorry, Kuro-sama."

Kurogane felt his face grow hot at the sight, for some retarded reason, and he quickly turned around.

"Whatever, stupid." He mumbled.

Souma rubbed her chin with mild interest. Something was going on here.

"Kurogane, isn't your next competitor waiting?" Souma asked, handing him a water bottle.

Kurogane shrugged, before he snatched the drink. "I just finished the sparring, but I think Sensei wants me to do a demonstration later."

Fai smiled. "Kuro-pii is so strong!"

"I've been practicing since I was four, of course I'm good." Kurogane said embarrassedly.

Fai grinned wider. "Kuro-tan has a black belt. Is that because you like to wear black?"

Kurogane deadpanned. There was no freakin' way he was being serious.

"Are you kidding me?!" Kurogane demanded. "A black belt is the highest rank in Karate. I'm a second degree black belt, which means I'm twice as good."

"Hyuuu …" Fai marveled. Kurogane really seemed excited about Karate; watching him explain everything, Fai noticed that this was the most enthusiastic he had seen him. He smiled happily.

"Don't listen to this idiot brag." Souma grumbled. "If my dad let me do Karate, I would be three times as good as him."

Kurogane rolled his eyes and sat down next to Fai. "Yeah, right. Nobody can beat me in Karate."

Souma huffed indignantly before sliding an arm around Fai's shoulders. "Well what about Fai-chan? I bet he would be really good at it, huh? Maybe you should join!"

Kurogane was about to make another snippy remark when Fai interrupted.

"Oh, no! I would be terrible at it! I—"

"Oh, it's nothing! You should join, Fai! That way all of us could come here after school!"

Fai's eyes were as large as saucers at Souma's suggestion. He looked up at Kurogane for some sort of support but the red-eyed boy only looked torn.

Kurogane dreaded the very thought of Fai in Karate. What if he got hurt? What if Kurogane was the one who harmed him? Not to mention he would have to endure the stupid nicknames and his stupid smile more even more often. Kurogane turned a glare to Souma. She was doing this on purpose, so she had a motive. Kurogane sighed resignedly. All he could do was trust her and follow her lead.

"I … guess that could be fun." Kurogane locked eyes with Fai. "I mean, if you want to, I guess."

Fai heaved a startled sigh, before smiling broadly. "I could ask my mom, I guess! She would like it if I got into a sport …"

Fai paused and gave an excited laugh. "And I can be with Kuro-rin more, too!"

Kurogane just scoffed and turned his head, though he couldn't help but feel a little excited that he would spend more time with Fai, either.

XxX

After a worried call with Fai's mother and a lot explaining about where he had been all of this time, Souma's mom came to pick up her and Kurogane. Fai had insisted that his mom would be there in a while to drive him home, but Souma had another plan in mind. Since all three of them lived pretty close to each other, Souma had insisted that they could drive him home. He had been hesitant at first, but gave in when Kurogane told him to just shut up and take a free ride.

"So, did you ask her about joining Karate?" Souma asked from the left side of Fai. The three of them sat in the back of Souma's mom's large SUV. Fai sat in the middle, with Kurogane to his right.

"Oh, n-no, not yet. She was pretty worried on the phone … I'll ask later, I guess."

Fai stared at his shoes worriedly which didn't get by unnoticed by either of his friends.

"Don't worry, Fai-chan; was your mom that mad?" Souma asked.

Fai gave a heavy laugh. "No … she never gets mad at me anymore … just worried …"

Kurogane stared at him. The entire day, Kurogane had yet to see this of the many sides of Fai. He looked worn down, exhausted, as if a huge burden was on his shoulder and he had given up to the pressure it weighed him down with. Fai had never looked so … resigned. The sight made the red-eyed boy feel almost worried, anxious, like he needed to understand what was wrong and help him. Kurogane was used to feeling protective of people, but this was almost different. This sensation made him feel sick.

"Oh!" Fai suddenly said. "That's my house right there!"

Kurogane turned his head to face his window. The house looked almost identical to his, save the bright red door and brown trimming around the roof. He was surprised to see that his mom wasn't waiting on the doorstep, since she seemed really upset on the phone.

"Oooh! You live so close to us! You should come over sometime, Fai-chan!" Souma chirped in awe, before asking her mother, "He can come over sometimes, right, mom?"

The woman in the driver's seat smiled kindly at him. "Of course! As long as you ask your mother next time, that is."

The woman laughed jokingly as Fai blushed. He said his good byes to both of his friends and got tacklehugged by Souma. Kurogane just crossed his arms and muttered a good bye, which made both Fai and Souma grin and attach themselves to his waist. After he pried them both off, Fai jumped out of the car to avoid another swipe to his head from Kurogane, and walked up to his house.

Souma's mother took off and soon they were both at Kurogane's house.

"Hey," Kurogane started as they walked up his driveway, and Souma's mom parked next door at their house, "what made you ask Fai to join Karate?"

Souma gave a rare, thoughtful smile. "I thought that maybe if he learned Karate, he could protect himself if he was ever in danger."

Kurogane blinked and stared at his friend wondrously. "Hey— that's actually a pretty good idea!"

Souma flushed red. "What? Are you surprised that I can actually be clever, or something?!"

Kurogane smirked. "I just hope this turns out alright. Something … almost seems wrong with him." Kurogane gave shaky sigh. "This all better work out, or I'll blame you."

Souma smiled at Kurogane. He really wanted to protect Fai, huh? Well, then she would try her hardest to make sure everything turned out okay.

"I'm sure he'll be fine as long as you're with him."

XxX

Fai stood before the bright, red door to his house. He knew she was in there, most likely pacing up a storm. He grimaced at the thought of how much he had scared her, hurt her. He had been so caught up with his new friends, that he had almost forgotten his place. Fai sighed precariously and gave three fast raps on the wooden surface, his fist lingering in midair while he listened to the rapid footsteps approaching the door from the other side.

"Fai-kun!" said the tearful cry of his mother, Elda, as she burst open the door.

Fai hung his head in shame as she coddled and held him. He hadn't meant to worry her like this. He felt so disgraceful.

"Oh, Fai-kun, I was so scared!" she continued and doubled over to his level, and Fai could see the tears welling in her amber eyes. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

Fai lightly patted her back and cooed comfortingly, as if their roles were reversed.

"I'm here, mom. I'm sorry I forgot to tell you anything. I won't do it ever again, I promise." He said and even he could hear how his words were laced with regret.

For a while they just stood there, in the doorway trying to comfort each other and themselves. All too soon, his mother stood up and wiped at her eyes, looking slightly embarrassed.

"I-I'm so sorry for doing this again, Fai-kun … I just get so worried …"

Fai gave a strained smiled and rested his hand on hers. "It's okay, mom. Nothing … nothing is your fault."

The words hung heavy in the air and made the gorgeous, blonde woman feel overwhelming guilt that dug deep into her heart. Her beautiful son, her precious son, had so much to deal with, so many of her burdens to hold onto, and all without complaint… she didn't deserve such a wonderful child.

"I-I'm better n-now … Fai-kun." Elda whispered. She felt ridiculous; she was pathetic. She had to be strong; she had to be a role model for her blossoming son. She had to stop being so weak, for Fai's sake at least. Her son led her into the house by the hand and she sat on the couch, letting out a whimper when Fai left the room to get her a glass of water.

She had nothing to live for but her son. He was everything to her; all she had left in the world. He tried so much for her and never faltered to blow her away with his kindness and gentility. He supported her in every sense of the word. He guided her through the days she couldn't even get up out of bed. Fai made her a better person and gave her a reason to live. So why was it so hard to be strong?

Elda sighed and shut her eyes closed to stop the flow of tears that were threatening to fall.

"Mom…? Here." Fai handed her a glass of water.

She took it graciously and sipped it slowly.

Fai was about to retire to his room, when she grabbed his wrist with deceiving strength.

"Fai-kun … why don't you tell me about your first day of school?" She smiled unevenly.

Fai blinked back his surprise and smiled truly.

"Oh! I made a few really great friends." He clasped his hands together happily and sat down next to her. Even if she was a few days late asking about it, he was grateful she cared enough to ask at all.

His mother gave a surprised smile. "Really? That's so good, Fai-kun!" Elda sighed in her deep relief. At least she had been right in taking him to a new city. A fresh start was something they both needed.

"What are their names?" She asked.

Fai's smile broadened. "Well, there's Souma-chan, who's really, really funny and nice. She even invited me to her house! I hope I can go soon, I bet she has lots of fun things. But I don't know if she really meant it when she said I could go over …"

Fai fell silent for a second and his mother could sense his uncertainty. She felt a pang of hurt in her chest. When had her precious boy become so insecure toward people?

"But … I'm still happy. They were both so nice to me …" Fai looked past his mother with a genuine warmth she hadn't felt from him for so long.

"Wait," his mother realized, "They? Who's the other friend, then?"

The blue-eyed boy seemed stricken for a moment, as his face turned a strange pinkish color. "O-oh, I met Souma-san and …Kuro-sama."

His mother rested her chin on knuckles and leaned forward with evident interest. "'Kuro-sama'? Is that their name?"

Fai grinned wickedly and shook his head. "Well, no. His name is Kurogane, but I like to call him funny name because he always gets so mad. I actually met him before today … I guess I forgot to tell you." He shrugged.

Elda smiled sadly. "I suppose so."

"But he's really funny, too. Oh!" Fai brought his hands to his face as he remembered something. "I forgot! Um … I was wondering … well, do you think I could maybe join … Karate?"

Elda's eyes widened until the point where Fai thought they would pop out of her head.

"U-Um, but I mean I don't have to, it's perfectly okay if you—"

"No!" she interrupted her babbling son as the initial shock wore off, "I … was just surprised that's all. I'm happy you want to get into activities, Fai-kun!"

Fai smiled happily at his mother's positive reaction. He wasn't sure why, but he really wanted to join Karate now, if only to spend more time with Kurogane. A smile was instantly lit on his face at the thought of the other boy. It wasn't often that people consented to spending time with him, especially people his age. Kurogane … was so unknowingly kind. Fai sighed dreamily; meeting him had been the highlight of the past few months. Fai laughed at the thought of his face when Souma had first asked him to join Karate. He had looked less than enthusiastic about the idea, but Fai was just happy that Kurogane put up with him. He had never wanted someone to like him as much as he wanted Kurogane to. The thought, or rather admission, of that made his face turn red again. He didn't know why, but there was something about Kurogane that he truly admired, adored even. Something that made his heart beat faster and his palms sweaty. He had never experienced such a feeling, so he didn't know what to make of it. All he could do was hope that Kurogane didn't hate him.

A few days ago, something like that wouldn't have mattered to him in the least. A few days ago, the thought of something as trivial as being liked by people other than his mother wouldn't have occupied his mind for a second. But this … almost didn't seem to fall into the same category as that. The way he was feeling made him feel as if he had no choice but to obsess over being liked by Kurogane. Fai cleared his throat awkwardly, knowing that he was blushing again. Something was definitely wrong with him.

"Fai-kun? Are you alright? Do you have a fever, sweetie?"

The blonde boy lifted his head to meet his mother's concerned amber eyes.

"Oh, no I'm fine. U-um, so I can join Karate, right?" Fai asked again, more persistently.

"Oh … yes, of course. I'll see to sign you up as soon as I can."

Fai grinned excitedly and kissed his mother on the cheek, before running upstairs and into his room.

She felt her lower lip trembling as he sprinted off. She was so … grateful. Her son was able to move on, and live, and try to fit into a different environment after all that had happened. After the pain had time to settle in and push out the light, he was willing to live. He could still smile the way he did before, and take care of others the way he always had, even when it was _him_ who needed to be comforted. When had he gotten so strong? Who had shown him _how_ to be so strong? Elda felt the hot tears tracking down her face and she covered her mouth to muffle the sounds of her strangled sobs. She slid off the couch and buried her face in the carpet, her blonde locks falling around her and tangling.

Who was going to teach _her_ to be strong?

XxX

Oops. I was supposed to post this yesterday. Sorry! Okay, my goal is to get one more chapter out before I leave on the 24th. I won't be back until September 4, and even then I have school. Also, I haven't been in Karate for … oh geez … four or five years. If the details of Karate are wrong, please tell me. My memory is a bit rusty, since I pretty much suppressed most of my memories during that time. Let's just say my Sensei scared the hell out of me. Or rather, she still does. Whenever I accidentally run into her at the grocery store or see her somewhere outside the dojo, I literally run away. Yeah, I'm a wimp XD And due to a recent review, this story is going to most likely be longer than I had originally planned. I realized that I was rushing things, so the story will be about 2 or maybe even 3 chapters longer than before. I want to get more character development out. So … please, please review!! Thank you for reading.


	4. Chapter 4

Fai tossed his head from side to side, examining the street, before crossing. He really did hate having to leave his house without saying good bye to his mother, but because he walked, he had to leave early and she usually didn't wake up until an hour before he got home. He never had the heart to wake her up, so he settled on leaving notes in places she could find and hope that they cheered her up. He smiled sadly at the thought. As if anything_ he _did could possibly make her happy.

He sighed and tugged his jacked closer to his body to fight off the cold; it was November already. He had been going to Horitsuba for almost a month now. He looked back and forth worriedly. After the first few times he had walked to school, Kurogane had found out and called Fai an idiot, moron, fool, dumb ass, and several other names. Kurogane walked with him to school ever since.

Fai never understood why, but he was overly delighted that he did. Today, however, Kurogane was nowhere to be seen. Fai pouted in concern. What if he was sick? Fai wracked his brain to try and remember signs of an impending sickness that Kurogane might have shown signs of the previous day. He came up blank.

Fai sighed. Well, he wasn't going to find out what was wrong without checking. Fai quickly changed direction and began walking up the street directly across his. He might be late to school, but this was important. This was Kurogane.

He smiled, already imagining the look of anger and annoyance on Kurogane's face at his unexpected arrival. He knew Kurogane would probably yell at him, but after the past few weeks Fai had grown somewhat attached to his friend. Okay, _very _attached.

He coughed hoarsely as he continued down the block. Kurogane's was the second to the last on it, Souma's being the last. Fai admitted to being a bit jealous that Kurogane and Souma lived so near to each other, but then Kurogane reminded him that he was with them at school, Karate, and after school, and Fai felt better. Kurogane somehow always knew what to say to make him feel better. Fai grinned. Or maybe it was just the fact that the mere sounds of Kurogane's voice made him feel better?

XxX

Nothing could have possibly made Kurogane's mother happier than the sight she was greeted with when she opened the door to her son's room that morning. It had been so very long since the last time she had seen him asleep so peacefully in the morning. Usually he had taken up the habit of making her coffee, and cleaning up around the house to pass time in the morning when he couldn't sleep. Or rather, he didn't _let_ himself sleep.

She sighed for what would be the hundredth time that morning. She didn't like being useless to help her son, especially since it was costing him sleep. At least three times the in the last two weeks she had been called by Kurogane's teacher about him falling asleep in class. Ms. Hibiya was never angry or annoyed, but rather concerned, which only piled on the guilt for her.

Kurogane's mother proceeded to cleaning up the kitchen. She didn't like her son missing school, but she wasn't going to wake him from the first good sleep he'd had in a while for him to fall asleep in class anyway.

Suddenly, a light knock was heard on the front door.

She quickly glided her way to the rhythmic beating and cheerfully opened the door.

She was met with a small blonde child whom she couldn't quite distinguish a gender for yet.

"Hello!" They said with a blinding smile, "Um, this is where Kuro-pi lives, yes?"

The red-eyed boy's mother smiled questioningly. "Kurogane, you mean?"

When the now presumed boy nodded his head, she added, "Oh, yes, he lives here! I'm afraid he won't be going to school today though … may I ask, are you a friend of his?"

Fai smiled amiably. "My name is Fai D. Flourite, and Kuro-tan and I go to school together!" Fai pulled his jacket against himself again, "Kuro-min and I always walk to school together … is he sick?"

The mother gave the boy a curious look, only now knowing the reason why Kurogane had suddenly started walking to school. In fact, for the past month or so, her son had been acting differently then usual. He spent more time after school, he walked home, and, despite his obvious need to sleep more, he was almost more upbeat. Kurogane seemed much more preoccupied lately. It was hard for his mother to imagine the boy in front of her to be the reason, but she couldn't help but think that something about him was familiar…

A sudden stir from behind reminded her of where she was.

"…Fai?" Kurogane's shocked though sleepy voice mumbled from behind her.

"Kuro-piko!" Fai's smiled seemed to brighten even more as he peered through the doorway into the house, before his face turned a deep shade of red. He cleared his throat, concealing an awkward giggle. "I didn't know that Kuro-rin slept naked …"

Kurogane was suddenly very aware of his appearance and glanced wildly down at himself. Despite Fai's accusation, he wasn't naked, though he might as well have been for all he was wearing was a pair of gym shorts. He quickly crossed his arms over his chest and huffed out his embarrassment as his face turned scarlet.

"Shut up! I'm not naked, stupid!"

Fai laughed more and his mother joined in shortly.

"Kurogane, when did you wake up?" she asked in between giggles. She had never seen her son so red before because of something a classmate had said.

"When I heard you answer the door," Kurogane grumbled unhappily. "That idiot is so loud …"

"Hmmm? Kuro-sama woke up just for me!" Fai trilled and feigned shock, "I'm so happy! Kuro-puu really does care!"

"Shut up, stupid! I didn't wake up for you, I woke up because you're so freakin' loud!"

The two squabbled on for a while longer, while Kurogane's mother examined the exchange with expanding interest.

"Kurogane, is this the friend you've been walking to school with lately?" his mother intervened suddenly.

"Yeah," Kurogane grumbled irritated, "The idiot was stupid enough to walk to school and back home alone … so he made me walk with him."

Fai quirked a brow, since he hadn't forced Kurogane to do anything, but shrugged it off. Details didn't matter to him.

"I see, I see." Kurogane's mother said, before turning to her son suddenly. She sighed. "Well, if you're up, I guess you might as well go and get ready for school, huh?"

She turned to Fai and continued. "I'll drive both of you, so that you aren't late."

Fai nodded his head gratefully. Kurogane felt a bit disappointed. He was actually having a good night's sleep, dreamlessly, and now he was woken up only to be embarrassed, and go to school. Today wasn't looking so good.

"I'm gonna go get ready." Kurogane mumbled.

He left Fai and his mother standing in doorway.

His mother sighed again, before realizing Fai was shaking. "Oh!" She gasped, before escorting Fai inside. "Come in, come in! It's freezing out there!"

Fai nodded gratefully, rubbing his hands together furiously. He lifted his gaze from his hands to the walls of the house. If he had to picture how Kurogane's house would look, this would be it. Warm, soft, and calm.

"So," Kurogane's mother started, "Are you new to Horitsuba?"

"Yes, actually," Fai sat down on the couch across from Kurogane's mother, "I moved in just a month ago." He smiled amiably, "Kuro-tan has been very kind to me, since then!"

Mrs. Suwa was rather surprised at this, but smiled all the same. "Really? Huh. Kurogane usually takes a while to warm up to people."

_I wonder what's different about Fai,_ she thought judiciously.

Fai was silent. His ears were pink but his face forcibly confident. "I…I don't know Kuro-sama very well, but… I get the feeling that he cares more about people more then he lets on… like he just pretends to be mean, but actually he cares so much, it scares him…that's why he acts so rough sometimes. When really, he's very sweet and worrisome."

Fai shook his head, laughing. "I mean, I'm no pro at reading people. I just don't think Kuro-tan's like he acts at all. Not on the inside."

Mrs. Suwa stared at Fai in flushed wonder. No one had ever said that about her son. Never. She felt so unreasonably jealous of his insight; that Fai was able to see something in her son that she's wanted the whole world to see for such a long time. She couldn't stop the tears from flowing.

Fai, upon looking up and seeing Mrs. Suwa weeping, stood up quickly in surprise.

"A-Ah!" Fai rushed hurriedly out, "No! I didn't mean to upset you! I'm so very sorry—really, I—"

Mrs. Suwa held up her palm to silence the babbling boy. "No." She smiled angelically. "I want to thank you."

Fai gave her a puzzled smile. "Ah, no."

"Ah, yes."

"Ah, okay."

xXx

By the time Kurogane and Fai arrived at school, they were eight minutes late and had to wait in the office while the counselors marked them tardy.

Kurogane sighed. "Great. Today's looking real good."

Fai shuffled his feet guiltily. "Um, sorry, Kuro-rin."

Kurogane just batted his hand; he was too tired to do or say anything else with his normal, angry liveliness.

Fai knew it was his fault; if not for him, Kurogane still would have been at home, sleeping peacefully which was, according to Kurogane's mother, a miracle in and of itself.

Fai's face burned a bright red as he recalled his conversation with Kurogane's mother.

"_Do you love him?" Mrs. Suwa had asked him seriously, her eyes shining and impertinent._

_Fai blushed to his roots. "W-What?! I-I don't … I don't, ah, I mean—"_

_Mrs. Suwa laughed languidly, her laughter like ripples in the water. "Love isn't only romantic, Fai-kun." She giggled lightly. "Love is passionate, caring, invariable… either between close friends or family or lovers…you feel those things, don't you?"_

_Fai was silent, his azure eyes shining vivid. "Yes…"_

_She smiled happily. "I know. I can tell, you know. I believe that, no matter how old, if you've been in love before, you can always tell when others are as well."_

_Fai's heart hammered in his chest and he shook his head wildly. "W-Well, I don't really understand my, ah, feelings, I mean—"_

"_It's okay." Mrs. Suwa assured him. "You will soon. Definitely."_

Fai sighed. Did he love Kurogane? It would make sense. It really would. Fai already knew he liked Kurogane more than just a friend… but was it really love? Fai fidgeted in his seat uncomfortably.

Kurogane, noticing this, looked down and laid his hand over the blonde's. Fai blinked in confusion, but upon seeing the dazed look on Kurogane's face, remembered how tired the boy was.

"It's okay." He said, almost resentfully. "I mean, we all get in trouble for the first time. Heh, for me, I got in trouble for the first time in second grade for pushing Souma down too hard, and she got a bloody knee. Back then we weren't really friends yet, but she was bothering me and calling me Behemoth because I'm so tall…I guess even back then we were at each other's throats all the time."

Kurogane smiled slightly, thinking back on his memories fondly. Fai watched him. Definitely tired; he was babbling now. Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind, but he bid it back. No. Kurogane definitely wasn't in love with Souma. Of course not. He talked about her so much because they're childhood friends. They live right next to each other. They're practically siblings.

"Hey," Kurogane gave Fai a confused look, "You never did say. Where did you live before you moved here?"

Fai opened his mouth, only to shut it quickly. He thought for a second and decided to go with a safer story. "My mom and I lived a few cities over, but she got offered a job around here, and so we decided moving to a new environment would be better."

There, short and sweet.

Kurogane, for the first time, looked thoroughly dissatisfied at the lack of Fai's dissentious chatter.

"Hah?" He offered, backing away and folding his legs underneath him on his chair. "That's it? That sounds like every other kid's story for moving away."

Fai shrugged, feeling his face go hot. "I'm not very interesting."

Kurogane considered this. He had to admit; maybe this was one thing Fai was right about. Maybe he wasn't all that fascinating; he was always putting on airs, but maybe the smoke screen wasn't shielding anything other than another typical, boring boy. Kurogane sighed. The idea was rather depressing. For Fai was, if nothing else, the only thing of interest in Kurogane's life at the moment. Kurogane shook his head. No way; he wasn't going to believe that. There was more to Fai then he let on and Kurogane could feel it, hell, he'd seen it. No one got murdered like that, especially a child, and could call themselves uninteresting or unimportant.

"I doubt that." Kurogane said lowly, "I mean, I haven't known you for very long, but you are definitely not boring or uninteresting."

Fai looked surprised. Was his friend truly that exhausted? "Huh? How do you mean?"

Kurogane sighed. "Okay, fine, well for one thing you're really pretty smart. You pretend to be stupid for attention sometimes, but you're really actually smart, right? That's interesting. I mean, there are a lot of stupid people out there. Oh, and even though it's annoying sometimes, you have a lot of energy. I mean, that's really cool. People are always saying how lazy and stuff our generation is… you have a lot of energy and it's pretty funny." Kurogane knit his brows together, showing how uncomfortable he felt saying this, "And, uh, you're kinda … you know, like, girly… I mean, some people would say, pretty? I guess? Well whatever, that's interesting, too."

It was silent for a long while after that. Kurogane was pretty sure his face was a considerable shade of red. He'd never been that honest with Fai on how he thought about him. To be honest, Kurogane knew he didn't hate or dislike Fai in the slightest, but to say it out loud so emotionally? Kurogane was going to explode.

Fortunately for him, as he glanced at Fai's face, he looked much the same. He was so flushed; the tips of his ears illuminated a bright pink. Fai was practically euphoric. Kurogane said he was interesting, and smart, and pretty. And he still held his hand. With Kurogane, that was practically the equivalent to a love confession. Or a marriage proposal.

Fai gave a squeal, leaning forward and burying his red, blotchy face in his hands. There was no way he could look Kurogane in the eyes for the rest of his life. Anytime he tried, he would just blush and smile and squeal in delight.

"H-Hey!" Kurogane barked, his blush worsening, "L-Look I didn't mean anything w-weird by it okay?!"

Fai only muffled his delirious squealing with the palms of his hands.

"S-Shut up, dammit!" Kurogane was yelling now and got the attention of the women at the desks.

"Hey now," one tired looking one sighed, "No cursing. Especially from you two, you were late so you'll just have to wait until we're all done here."

One of the women cocked a brow. "Hey, is the little guy alright? He's not sick is he?"

Kurogane huffed and crossed his arms, his embarrassment nearly boiling beneath his skin.

"He's fine." Kurogane said.

The women sighed and nodded her head. "Good. You can go to class now; we've had you registered for a while now."

Kurogane's eyes bulged and he clenched his teeth. "Why didn't you say so?!"

The woman grinned. "Customary punishment; don't do the crime if you can't do the time."

Kurogane rolled his eyes and resorted them to office boredom. He stood up with haste and looked down at the bundle of blonde scrunched in the seat below him.

"Are you coming, idiot?" Kurogane asked quickly.

Fai looked up, only to immediately look back down. "Yeah."

They walked side by side in an awkward silence down the hall. Fai had a seemingly permanent grin stuck to his face, while Kurogane had an equally permanent looking scowl on his face. Kurogane averted his eyes as successfully as Fai concealed his squealing, which he did well considering at one point their hands brushed. Fai knew Kurogane hadn't meant his compliments as, well, compliments, but he was satisfied all the same that he got some sort of admission from his friend that he didn't completely hate him. It was a step to something. Perhaps not to Kurogane falling for him, but something.

"Um, Kuro-sama?" Fai tried slowly, peeking up at his friend once they were in the classroom and seated.

"Hmph. What." Kurogane barked bluntly.

"A-Ah ha." Fai laughed nervously. "I just wanted to thank you for what you said earlier. Really. I've… just never had someone say something so kind to me before. It made me so happy, so that's all."

He rushed the words out fast. Kurogane just nodded his head. He knew Souma was staring them both down from her seat across from them, which made his insides choke. The last thing he wanted to do was have to explain to Souma what he said; it would be more embarrassing than any of the other stupid things Souma forced him into on a daily basis.

Kurogane sighed and rested his head on his palm, his face angled to stare out the window. He wondered how long it would take before Fai would actually get into trouble. The dream wasn't worsening, but it wasn't getting any better either. It seemed to be at a standstill; as if Fai's image in the dream was only sleeping. Kurogane's eyes shot wide, he'd begun to doze off. He decided not to think of sleep again. He glanced at Fai, who smiled simply, before looking down at his worksheet to finish the notes. Souma had stopped her fidgeting sometime ago and resorted to doodling in the margins of her page. Kurogane took in a deep breath, took in the complete sense of ephemeral calm. And as a bird flew by, it carried with it the weight of his worries on its wings. But surely this was only the calm before the storm.

Okay, so I'm back :) I haven't posted here in nearly a year! Wow! Well, I'll just say a lot happened. A lot of family, personal, depressing kind of stuff so I won't bore you all with it! Plus, I had a lot with school as well, so balancing everything pretty much equaled a year of hell. Anyway, I'm continuing the story again because, once again, it's summer! I have a bit more time and I hope people still read this. Also, I hope I depicted Fai's feelings alright; I tried to decipher first love, and untangle then weave its awkwardness and how uncomfortable, yet exciting, it is together. This is more of a build up to new feelings for the two, and to say 'Hey! I'm still here!' =D I DO plan to finish everything I start, so if I disappear again, I will always come back to it. That is, if anyone is still reading this and cares enough to read this XD Hope to have this story finished by summer's end. Bye-bye!


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